Coast Guard nabs $1 million in cocaine off Galveston

HOUSTON - Coast Guard personnel were joined by other federal agencies Christmas Eve to remove more than 85 pounds of cocaine from a ship off the Galveston coast.

The crew of the 900-foot oil tanker Godavari Spirit notified Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston that they located a suspicious package hidden aboard their ship and suspected it to contain narcotics.

A joint boarding team consisting of the Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration, were taken 70 miles offshore Monday aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Manowar to board the tanker and locate the cocaine.

Upon completing a thorough search, the team located and seized a total of 31 packages of cocaine valued at an estimated $1,139,000. The value may vary depending on the quality of the drug.